An Unknown Dumbledore
by Renna22
Summary: Lace Weisberg had never known that her mother was a witch or that her grandfather was one of the most famous wizard's of all time. That is, until he showed up on her doorstep inviting her to Hogwarts. Lace comes to terms with her new friends.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated in JK Rowling's books. I just write about them. Annabelle is mine, as in Lace. I wish I owned the Marauders, but am very sad to say that I still do not._

_A/N: Okay,so this is my first attempt to post my writing. I hope you all enjoy it. Please comment and let me know if you love it or if you hate it. Here goes..._

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**A New Beginning**

It had been three months since Lace met her grandfather and learned the biggest secret of her life. Now she was standing on a platform, looking at a train that was to take her away from everything she had ever known. There were tears running down her cheeks, but she wasn't sad. Lace had always known that she was special, ever since she was six years old and her grammar school teacher caught her levitating Michael Cameron's pencil higher and higher over his reaching hand.

"We'll miss you, sweetie." Her father, Tom, pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'll miss you, too, dad." Lace whispered to him as they pulled away. In the distance, they hear someone yell, "Five minutes!"

"Bye, mum! I'll write to you every chance I get." Lace quickly hugged her mother and hurried to the train with her trunk.

Lace walked down the corridor looking for an empty compartment, but could only find one in the last car with a young girl sitting alone. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" Lace bit her lip as she looked at the girl with brown hair flowing down her back.

"No, that's fine. I was sitting with James and Sirius, but they got up quickly and ran down the corridor. I'm Annabelle." She said as she picked up her cat from the other seat. "This is Tabs." She said before putting him in his basket.

"I'm Lace. It's nice to meet you. Is this your first year at Hogwarts, too?" Lace began to pull the compartment door shut, but a tall boy with messy black hair stuck his foot out to block it. "Oh, I'm sorry." Lace quickly apologized and let go of the door.

"Not a problem. I'm James," he stuck his hand out to shake hers, "and this is…where'd he go?" He stuck his head out the door and began to look up and down the corridor. "Get in here, you git!" He walked back in and took the seat next to Annabelle. Then a handsome boy with dark hair came in and pulled the door shut.

"I didn't know we had company. I'm Sirius Black. Wonderful to meet you?" He stuck out his hand as he sat next to her. Then, he leaned forward to James and whispered, "Fresh meat."

"Ignore them." Annabelle nodded her head in their direction and looked back out the window.

"A-belle, we resent that. We were merely commenting on how this is Lace's first year at Hogwarts." Sirius pretended to look slightly put out.

"Live it, mate. My dear cousin has always been on to us." James smiled at him, before turning his attention back to Lace. "Are you from a wizarding family? Or muggle?"

"Bit of both actually. My mum's pureblood, but my dad's all muggle." Lace said tucking her legs under her. It was a nervous habit she often had.

"How does that work, then?" Annabelle asked her, turning back from the window. "Did your mum hide it from your dad or was he always aware?"

"He always new, but we lived like muggles. My grandfather wasn't too happy about that risk, but mum didn't care. They had a horrible row and I never met him until he showed up at the house with my letter."

"You look familiar. I swear I've seen you before." Sirius racked his brain trying to remember. "Maybe in a picture or something."

"Mate, you're right. She does look like someone from a picture. Where did we see that at?" James pondered for a moment before the lady with the trolley distracted both boys.

Lace had an idea where they could have seen her, but she wasn't sure about revealing who her family was to people she barely knew. As she turned her attention out the window, Annabelle leaned forward. "Do you have any idea what they are blabbering about? I mean it is possible, they are third years, but maybe not."

"Erm…" Before Lace could say anything the boys came back in and offered them chocolate frogs.

"Albus Dumbledore." Sirius stated.

"What?" Lace looked shocked for a moment before she realized he was reading from his card. "Oh, right," she muttered.

"Wonder what the record is for having the most Dumbledore cards." James pondered aloud. "Maybe we should ask him next time we stop by his office." He grinned at Sirius as the door slid open. "Remus, there you are! We looked all over for you earlier."

"Peter was dragging me down to the fourth car with him. Something about going see some girl. Good grief. I finally got away when Mike Daxley came out to talk to him around car seven." He sat down next to James. He looked at Lace and noticed something oddly familiar, but put it out of his mind. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Lace Weisberg." She smiled at him. He was just as cute as the other two boys.

"Now, what are we asking Dumbledore?" He asked the boys, picking up a frog.

"The record for the most Dumbledore cards by one person."

"The memories we've had with that man. He's such a nice guy." Sirius stared off into space as if dazed. "Ah, well, more to come. I can only dream." He said as he handed Lace the card. "To start your collection off right."

"Thanks." She stuffed the card in the pocket her coat. "You three see Dumbledore a lot?"

"Loads." Sirius replied. "Shouldn't be long before we see him again."

"We can only hope." James chuckled to himself.

"They get in trouble a lot. Don't let them fool you. My mum told me. It's gotten to the point where the other professors won't even attempt to deal with them anymore." Annabelle told Lace as she searched through the bag of Every Flavor Beans.

"We resent that. He just likes us so much that he wants to see us every so often to keep in touch." James quickly interjected. "Besides. Aunt Mills never like us much anyway. Not after the unfortunate incident with the neighbors' cat."

After a few more moments of silence, Remus pulled out a book from his trunk and Annabelle returned to staring out the window. James stood up and looked at Sirius. "Let's go find Evans." Together the two left the compartment. Annabelle took Tabs out of his basket and closed her eyes.

"Someone's got a secret." Remus was looking sideways at Lace from behind his book. He moved down the seat closer to her. She was staring at him with her mouth open and her eyes wide. "Don't worry. I won't tell. But they'll recognize the picture eventually. A-belle's right. We get in trouble a lot."

"Please don't. Its not like I'm trying to hide it, 'cause I'm not. I just don't know him. After their row, mum never let him see us anymore." She bit her lip, and the door slid open loudly.

"I see that you found her." Remus had a slightly amused look on his face as James sat down next to Annabelle again and Sirius resumed Remus' now vacant spot.

"She slapped me." James was holding a hand to his cheek in awe. "She loves me!"

"Not sure I'd go that far." Sirius said before he quickly followed Annabelle's lead and fell asleep.

"You've got a lot to learn." Remus looked at Lace again before he began to read again.

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_A/N: Please don't forget to comment and let me know how you feel about it._

_Coming up: The start of term feast and Lace's first night at Hogwarts._


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer_**_: I still do not own Harry Potter or anything associated in JK Rowling's books. I just write about them. Annabelle is mine, as in Lace. I continue to wish that I owned the Marauders, but am very sad to say that I still do not. But not dispite many efforts._

_A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still reading and reviewing (_XxlilyxX_!). Here's Chapter 2..._

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**Meeting the Headmaster**

In a single file line, the first years were led out in front of everyone in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall placed the frayed sorting hat on the stool and everyone looked intently at it. Lace's mother had tried to prepare her for this, but she never imagined she would be as nervous as she was at that moment. Suddenly, the hat opened its brim and began to sing.

"Oh, I'm here to help you all,

As you will shortly see.

No matter how you judge,

There's no other hat quite like me.

I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,

And I know so very much.

Just put me on your head,

So I can show you such.

If you're brave and have the nerve,

I can think of only one,

Gryffindor is sure to serve.

If you're loyal and hard-working,

There is no question,

Hufflepuff is yours for the taking.

If you're ready and wise,

You shall quickly learn

Ravenclaw will fit your size.

Or there is no doubt you see,

If you dare and are cunning,

Slytherin is where you ought to be.

Dark times lie ahead,

Of this we are sure.

Find true friends,

And keep your hearts pure.

The time will come to stand alone,

Keep your morals tight.

Magic will be the end,

So keep it in your sight."

The brim quickly resealed and Professor McGonagall took out a roll of parchment and called out the first name. "Abbly, Carson." He went to RAVENCLAW. The names continued with the hat taking various amounts of time to sort each person. When Annabelle was called, she went to GRYFFINDOR after about two seconds of thinking. The table erupted in cheers. Finally, "Weisberg, Laceteel."

At first, the hat said nothing. Then suddenly, "Hmm. Could it be? The granddaughter. Where to go? Where to go? Better be…GRYFFINDOR!" As Lace took off the hat, cheers erupted again from the Gryffindor table and Lace made her way to a spot across from Annabelle as the last two students were sorted. From her seat, Lace stole a glance at Dumbledore who gave her a quick wink.

Once the hat was removed and everyone had resettled, Professor Dumbledore stood. "Welcome to all of our new students. Welcome back to all the old faces. There will be a time for announcements and speeches, but not before we've had the pudding. Cheers." He returned to his seat and the food magically appeared in front of everyone.

"I'm so happy you're in Gryffindor, too!" Annabelle had a large smile spread across her face. "This is going to be great!"

"I'm happy, too. My mum's whole family's been in Gryffindor." Lace said as she grabbed the mashed potatoes.

"So glad you ladies decided to join our table. We knew you couldn't resist us." James leaned over from two students down. "Better idea." He stood, followed by Sirius, Remus, and a fourth boy. "Move down." Four second years all groaned and moved down the table. "That's better." James said as he put his arm around Annabelle's neck to congratulate her on being in their family house.

"Gerroff me!" She batted his arm away playfully.

Everyone dug into the food in front of them as a student approached Lace with a note. "This is for you." He handed it off and returned to the head of the table.

"Ooh, who's it from?" Sirius asked a he grabbed it from Lace's hand.

"Grow up Sire." Remus took it and handed it back to Lace.

"Fine, Remmie boy." Sirius said in mock exasperation. "Go ahead, Lace, open it." He nodded toward the note.

"Erm. Okay." As she opened the letter, Lace bit her lip. The note read:

_Meet me on your way to the tower._

_Try the cheesy sprouts._

"There's no name." Sirius took the letter again and turned it over. "Cheesy Sprouts? Disgusting." He and James made revolted faces and shuddered. Sirius set the note back in front of Lace, but she wasn't paying attention. She was looking up at the staff table. Dumbledore caught her eye and nodded.

"Its no big deal." Lace said and tucked the letter in the pocket of her robe.

By the time, the plates cleared, Sirius was moaning about eating too much trickle tart. And James had a sleepy look on his face. "I ate way too much." Annabelle groaned as Dumbledore stood up again.

"I trust everyone enjoyed the meal. I just have a few reminders for everyone. The Forbidden Forest is, as always, off limits to students. Just as the name suggests. Magic is not aloud in the corridors. Some of you will do well to remember that." With that, he paused and looked between the Gryffindor table where James, Remus, and Sirius sat and the Slytherin table. "Quidditch tryouts will be held next week. If you are interested in trying out, see your head of houses. Curfew is to be strictly enforced by everyone." Another look to the middle of the Gryffindor table. "Detentions are not to be taken lightly. The dates for the first Hogsmeade visit will be posted on your common room bulletin board. That is all for tonight. Sleep well, for tomorrow…we learn!"

The hall erupted in conversations as everyone began to file out. "First years follow me. Stay close or you'll get lost." The boy with the note began signaling to the doors.

Sirius immediately did a mock impression of the boy, and in a girl's voice repeated, "First years follow me. Stay close or you'll get lost." He began prancing around causing the others to laugh and the prefect to glare at him over the heads of other students. "Oh sod off, Dilby. Its all in good fun." He told the boy in a normal voice. Then to the side, "Only cause McG would kill me if I got detention the first night."

"Are you coming?" Annabelle looked at Lace.

"No, I have to take care of something first. I'll see you in a bit." Lace bit her lip and looked around the hall.

"Come on cuz, we'll show you up." James put his arm around her shoulder and led her away.

"No. I don't want you leaving me somewhere. I'm not taking any chances." Annabelle attempted to catch up to the other first years.

"Come on, A-belle. Have a little faith. We wouldn't do that to you. You're family. Plus your mom scares the dung out of me." Sirius said as he and James caught back up to her.

"Boys." Professor McGonagall walked by.

"Oh, Professor! Have you met my cousin, Annabelle? Future Marauder. I just have a feeling, of course." James beamed at her.

"Well, let's hope not. For everyone's sake. Now don't dawdle. Up to the tower, all of you." She walked away briskly.

Remus signaled to the fourth boy, Peter, to catch up with them as he walked over to Lace. "Want me to show you?" He leaned over and spoke into her ear, causing her to jump.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She apologized profusely after accidentally hitting him in the face. "And would you?" The walked in silence until they came to the statue at the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Here you go." Remus smiled at her and gestured with his hand.

"Er. What do I do now?" Lace looked confused.

"Well, look at the note and see what the password is. What did he tell you to try?" Remus looked over her shoulder and read.

"Cheesy sprouts?" Lace asked with an even more confused look on her face. Suddenly the statue sprang to life and jumped out the way.

"See. There you go. Night, Lace." Remus smiled and walked down the corridor.

"Thank you!" Lace called out before walking up the stairs, knocking as she reached the top. She stood waiting, nervously biting her lip, for an answer.

"Enter!" The voice from inside called out. As she slowly opened the door, Dumbledore stood and walked around his desk. "I'm delighted you stopped by. Too soon for hugs I can imagine. How about—" But before he could finish, Lace had closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. Once the two were free of the embrace, Dumbledore directed her to a chair as he rounded his desk.

"Thanks for…er…asking me to come by." Lace quickly said a she sat. She was extremely nervous and could not imagine why he would want to see her.

"Well, Laceteel – do you mind if I call you that?" He quickly added as he saw her eyes narrow at the mention.

"Well, its just no one has ever called me that except to make fun of me at school. Mum refused to use it when I was a child." She looked out the window then back at the headmaster, before drawing her legs underneath her body.

"My fault, I can assure you. Lace it is." Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

"No. No, you can call me Laceteel if you like." Lace replied slowly letting one of her legs down to rest her foot on the floor.

"I've been waiting to talk to you for some time. I will admit that I was not sure if your mother would allow you to come. Your father was always so different with his stand on me. Never tell Blakely, though. I don't want to start troubles." Dumbledore said as he walked over to a large cabinet and bent to grab a box.

"I believe she knows that the two of you used to owl. Something you said in your visit about me looking even more beautiful than in the pictures. She put two and two together after you left. They had a row about it, but she said that she didn't have enough time to be mad at both of you." Lace clasped her hand to her mouth and let out and inaudible gasp. She should not have told him that.

"I assure you, my dear, that it is nothing near the things I have heard before. I, also, doubt that it would be the last. Now lets see what is in here." Dumbledore set the box on his desk and glanced at the clock. "I know that it is late, and I won't dare to keep you much longer. I just wanted to show you some of the items your father has sent me over the years. I have much more, I can assure you. But frames are much harder to carry." Together they looked through the letters, pictures, report cards, and clippings that cluttered the box. Every once in a while, Dumbledore would mention something about them from her father's letter. After twenty minutes, Dumbledore replaced the lid and grabbed a small-framed picture from the corner of his desk. "Now, this is my favorite picture." It was the one from the beginning of summer two years back, when the family had gone to Greece for vacation. "You're father sent it straight away. I, of course, fixed it. However, I do believe that your dear old mother has wondered off. No worries, she will return soon. I can only hope. Now, my dear, it is time for you to be in bed. Would you like me to walk you? Or I can just tell you where to go."

"You can just tell me. You don't have to come." Lace replied as she stood and Dumbledore walked around the desk. Her mother's independence showing clearly through her only daughter. He told her the directions and had her repeat them, before he walked her to the door. Lace quickly gave him another hug and ran down the stairs. Dumbledore returned to his desk to look through the box once more.

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_A/N: Please don't forget to comment and let me know how you feel about it._ _Make suggestions if you have any!_

_Coming up: Already in trouble? (It'll be a short one.)_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer_**_: I still do not own Harry Potter or anything associated in JK Rowling's books. I just write about them. Annabelle is mine, as in Lace. I shall continue to wish that I owned the Marauders, but will remain sad that I do not._

_A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still reading! I'm trying to write at least one chapter a day, but in the upcoming weeks, it will be difficult with my work schedule. However, here is the next chapter.

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**Detention with the Marauders**

Two weeks had passed since Lace's first visit with her grandfather, when he sent her another message to meet him after her last class on Friday. It was another pleasant visit. They mostly talked of how things were at home and how much Lace resembled her mother. At the end of their meeting, Dumbledore told Lace that he would like to continue their visits so he could educate her on the House of Dumbledore and what it meant to be in such a long line of greatness.

As Lace stepped into the corridor, she could hear the grumbling of an angry voice accompanied by multiple voices spouting off excuses. She stopped at the foot of the stairs when she saw the caretaker, Mr. Filch, round the corner with four boys.

"What do you say we forget this, just this once?" James looked at the caretaker.

"The headmaster doesn't need to know. We can keep it our little secret." Sirius added as they got closer to the gargoyle.

"Not this time, boys. Don't think you can sweet talk your way out of this one. It's straight to Dumbledore with you lot. He told me not to bother the other professors." Filch ushered them all to the statue. Ignoring Lace, Filch said the password and continued to guide the boys up the stairs. His grumbling could be heard right until the very moment the door closed.

Lace found her way back to the Gryffindor common room after two wrong left turns and getting stuck on a flying staircase. "Dillyweed." She stated to the Fat Lady and the portrait hole swung open. She spotted Annabelle sitting on the floor by the window playing with Tabs. "What'd the boys do?" She asked sitting down next to her, pulling out her potions book.

"I dunno." Annabelle said half distracted before glancing around the room. "Where are they?"

"Filch was taking them up to see Dumbledore when I came out. He was angry about something." Lace told Annabelle that she was meeting with Dumbledore because he was a close friend of her grandfather's. It was partly true, but she still felt guilty about not being completely honest with her.

"There's no telling. It could be any number of things." Annabelle sighed leaning back again the wall. Glancing at Lace's potion book, she asked, "Want to get Sluggie's essay out of the way now so we can go wander the castle tomorrow?" The Potions Master, Professor Slughorn, had assigned nine inches on the importance of the essence of newt in coloring potions due in class on Monday morning. Annabelle quickly took to calling him Sluggie after he told her that he would pray to Merlin she was nothing like her dear cousin, James.

"I don't see why not. I want to go sit by the lake again tomorrow." Both girls stood and sat at the table nearest the window as the portrait hole swung open.

"You just want to go out there because you know the Marauders sit under the tree on Saturdays." Annabelle quietly taunted her as Sirius made his way over to the table, followed by Remus. "Someone likes Remus. Someone likes…" She let the statement fall as Sirius pulled out the chair next to her and sat on the table. "What did you do this time?" She asked as Remus walked around the table and sat by Lace.

"It was nothing really. We just decided to help Peeves out in taunting a group of first year Hufflepuffs. He was grateful." Sirius answered as he glanced around the room. Once he fixed his eyes on a spot by the fireplace, Annabelle followed his gaze. James was sitting next to a very put out Lily Evans.

"Come on Evans. Just say you want to go with me to Hogsmeade and we can put all the name calling behind us." He put his arm around the back of the couch.

Lily stood and with an exasperated look on her face said, "I wouldn't go to Hogsmeade with you if you were the last wizard left in this castle!" And she stomped out the portrait hole, followed closely by her two best friends.

Back at the table, Remus was looking at Lace's essay over her shoulder. "Talk about the different amounts associated with the different colors. It should take up about three inches like that." He said taking her book and turning to the measuring charts.

"Why don't you just do it for them?" Peter asked as he sat against the wall eating a bag of chocolate frogs. "I mean you keep telling them what to write anyway."

"Shut up, Peter." James said in aggravation as he took the chair Sirius' feet were occupying. "Can you believe that Evans? On top of tonight's detention with Filch, she has to throw insults at me. If she didn't love me so much, I might have to be offended." He propped his feet up on the back of his cousin's chair. "Who's the essay for A-belle?" He inquired after Sirius slid the paper from under her hand.

"Slughorn." She answered leaning back, and hitting her head of James' shoes. "Take your feet off you git!" She said as she swatted at them. James just moved them to the arm of her chair. "Figured we'd get it out the way now. Then have a free weekend."

"Nice, you can hang with us. We figured we plan a little gift for the Slytherins. Ya know, a belated welcome back." James and Sirius sprouted evil grins and began to whisper amongst themselves. "Any one else hungry? I could use a bite." With that, he sprinted up the stairs to the boys' dorm.

"I want some candied fruit. Think they'll have some at dinner?" Peter asked Sirius. "I'm starving."

"Doubt that's what he meant, Peter." Remus said, not glancing up from the girls' essays. "I think if you include this bit here about the soothing properties, you should be done." He pointed to Annabelle's book.

"Thanks!" Both girls said as they copied the last bit and rolled up their parchment.

"Lace, want me to bring your bag up for you?" Annabelle asked as she picked up hers to drop off in the dorm before they left for dinner.

"Would you please? I want to run send mum an owl about something I've been meaning to ask her." Lace said as she passed over the bag. "Want to meet in the Great Hall?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you down there." Annabelle ran up the stairs.

"I'm going see what's keeping him." Sirius said glancing at the remaining two before turning to Peter. "Are you ever gonna put that toad up?" Peter was still holding his toad tightly in one hand, while he finished off another chocolate frog. When Sirius got up to walk to the staircase, Peter immediately followed.

"Guess I should go to the Owlry then." Lace got up from her seat and began to walk to the portrait hole.

"I'll go with you." Remus caught up to her just before she stepped out. "We can just go to dinner together." For some reason, he could feel his cheeks burning pink. They walked in relative silence to the Owlry, but once they got to the top of the tower, Remus spoke. "How are things with your grandfather? I saw you coming out his office earlier."

"Its nice. We talk about mum and dad. He told me about what happened when they moved to Little Haggletown. It's actually answered a lot of questions, but its left a few open that I think only my mum can answer. That's why I want to send this letter to her."

After Lace made sure the Owl had proper directions, they walked down to the Great Hall. "What did you help Peeves do to deserve detention?" She asked inquiringly, but also because she enjoyed listening to him talk.

"Oh, Peter and I don't have detention. Just James and Sirius do. Filch wasn't too happy about that, but I'm sure he'll take what he can get. Normally, he just has us clean a room without magic. It's boring, but he feels good about himself afterwards. Since he normally leaves us there, we don't do too much. He just comes back after about three hours, pretends to inspect our work, and lets us go." Remus scratched the back of his neck. "Look, there's Peeves now. I think that's the same group of first years as before too."

They began to laugh as they watched the spectacle in front of them. Peeves was alternating between throwing erasers, ink pellets, and dungbombs at the group he had trapped in a corner. Suddenly, the Bloody Baron appeared from a nearby wall and Peeves dropped everything at once and soared off in the opposite direction muttering about 'ruined fun.'

"So I guess its true that the Bloody Baron is the only person Peeves will listen too. Was that were you were helping him do earlier?" Lace asked Remus once they were on the way again.

"No. Before Peeves kept knocking their book bags over and we kept moving the books and parchment around into someone else's pile." Remus told her as they made their way across the hall.

"What took you so long? I don't know how much longer I could have stood sitting with these three. Every time I move, James follows. Its so aggravating." Annabelle shot him an evil glare.

"Peeves." Lace and Remus replied in unison before helping themselves the food before them.

From across the table, James was piling beets on his plate mocking Annabelle in a horrible girly voice. "James follows me everywhere. He's so aggravating. Blah blah blah." Before he saw what was coming, Annabelle hit him square in the face with her spoonful of mashed yams. "You are dead A-belle. Do you understand?" Suddenly, their end of the table was flinging food everywhere.

"What on earth is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded as she appeared behind Sirius, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Professor! Warn somebody, next time. I almost hexed you!" He cried, not meaning a word of it.

"Detention! Tonight. All six of you," was her only response.

"But we have it with Mr. Filch tonight, Professor." Sirius called out to her in an innocent voice.

She quickly did an about face and reappeared at their side. "No need to worry about that. You will all see me, right here, at eight thirty." She pointed to the place where she stood before walking away.

Everyone quickly ran upstairs to change clothes in order to meet Professor McGonagall on time back in the Great Hall. When they arrived, the first thing they noticed was that all the tables were clear, except Gryffindor, which was covered in mess. "Ah good, all here, and on time I see." Professor McGonagall walked up to them. "I informed the kitchen staff that there was no need to clean the table tonight. Since you can create the mess, you can all clean it up. I'll be back in half an hour to check on your progress. No magic!" She began to walk past them toward the door, but came to a stop beside Lace. "I expected better, Laceteel. Your grandfather will hear about this." She glanced back at the others who stopped to listen before hurrying out the door.

"Great. That's great. As long as he doesn't tell mum." Lace muttered to herself as she rejoined the group by the table.

"What was that all about?" James asked, nodding in the direction McGonagall had left. "Why's she have to tell your grandfather? Its just detention. We've done this loads of times."

"I think Lace has a special exception to that whole stays between us thing." Remus stated from the spot he was cleaning.

Lace was glaring at him. "Couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? I asked you to do one thing, and you said no problem. You forgot to mention you couldn't keep a secret!" She stalked down to the other end of the table in a huff. The three other boys let out guffaws, which elicited a scathing look from Annabelle who quickly joined Lace at the other end of the table.

"What was that all about? What secret?" Peter asked as he began to clean the area in front of him.

"Shut it, Peter." James, Remus, and Sirius said in unison. The four worked in relative silence for the rest of the time.

"I don't get it. What'd you ask Remus to keep a secret?" Annabelle finally asked Lace as they finished cleaning the last spot on the table. Once they sat down as far from the Marauders as possible, Lace told her everything. About the fight between Dumbledore and her mum, Remus telling her he knew on the train, the picture in his office, the meetings they had, and how guilty she was feeling for not telling Annabelle the truth. "I see. So, why not tell people? I mean it's not that big of a deal, is it?" Annabelle looked at her.

"I just don't want things going around about my personal stuff. I mean, I've only known the man for four months. Besides you know how people talk around here." Lace propped her head on her hand as they waited for McGonagall to return.

The door to the Great Hall opened, but it was not McGonagall that walked in. It was the prefect from the first night, carrying another note. He walked up to the girls, handed it to Lace, and walked away. "Thanks." She muttered before opening the note.

_I would like a word with my granddaughter, if you will._

_Also, I detest mustard peas._

"Great," Lace muttered again as Professor McGonagall enter the hall.

"Everything looks clean. You may all go. Don't let this happen again, or I will be forced to take points." She said sternly before walking right back out the door.

The boys waited on Annabelle and Lace before heading up to the common room. Once they reached the top of the marble staircase in the entrance hall, Lace told them she had to do something and would meet them back upstairs. At the gargoyle, Lace said, "Mustard peas," before running up the revolving staircase.

"Come in." The voice called from behind the door. Lace pushed the door open and walked to her normal chair across from the headmaster. She remained silent, anticipating his disappointment. Finally, he spoke, "I understand you have made some new friends – a few of my regular visitors." He leaned forward on his desk and placed the tips of his fingers together. "I will admit that I was eager for you to get along with your peers, but not so much for you to be getting detentions. I am not disappointed in you. Never think that. I would just like for you to try a little harder to steer away from trouble. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew are not bad people, and I would never think ill of them. On the contrary, they are very bright students. They just have a tendency to cause a wee amount of trouble. Don't give people a reason not to like you, Lace. They will form their own opinions once it leaks out as to who you are." He leaned back in his chair and with a flick of his wand, caused her picture to rotate toward her. "Now, on another, lighter note. Your mother has decided to rejoin you, and, I believe, now you can see why it truly is my favorite picture. I have some business to attend to in London, but once I return, we will meet again." Dumbledore smiled with that familiar twinkle in his eye. "Good evening, my dear."

"Good evening, Grandfather." Lace smiled as she rose and walked out the door.

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_A/N: Please don't forget to comment and let me know how you feel about it. __Make suggestions if you have any!_

_Coming up: Dumbledore's bad news._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer**: I still do not own Harry Potter or anything associated in JK Rowling's books. I just write about them. Annabelle is mine, as in Lace. I shall continue to wish that I owned the Marauders, but will remain sad that I do not._

_A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still reading! Comments, please! I hope you enjoy._**

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News from Home

Lace was awoken at three in the morning in the middle of November. Professor McGonagall was standing over her in a dressing gown and a very worried look on her face. "Laceteel, you must come with me. This is very urgent." Lace quickly got out of bed and followed her down the stairs, through the common room, and to the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office. "Chocolate frog. Now hurry, up the stairs." She wasted no time knocking; she pushed the door open and ushered Lace in. Closing the door behind her, McGonagall retreated back down the stairs.

"Lace, dear," Dumbledore turned from his gaze out the window; his usual twinkle gone from his eyes. "We must hurry. There's been an attack. Your parent's home was attacked tonight." He walked to the fireplace and grabbed some floo powder. "I need to go by the ministry before we go home." He quickly explained to her how to use the floo network and they were off.

Annabelle awoke the next morning, with no sign of Lace. Her bed was a mess and she had not appeared to have gotten dressed before she left. Annabelle quickly changed and ran down to the common room. On Saturdays, they always woke up early and went to breakfast to plan the rest of their day. When she reached the common room, she spotted James and Remus sitting by the fire working on homework. "Have either of you seen Lace?" She asked as she sat next to James. "She wasn't in bed when I woke up."

"No. Maybe she went ahead to breakfast. How about we take a break from this and go see." James said as he stuffed his quill and parchment back in his bag.

"I'm with you on this. Twenty inches was really unnecessary. I can't believe McG got that mad over a tiny little prank." Remus said as they walked to the portrait hole.

"What did you do?" Annabelle asked as they made their way down the hall.

"Gave Snivelly a nice pair of whiskers in class yesterday, but we wouldn't say who it was exactly so she gave all three of us twenty inches on the importance of proper spell work." James sighed as they reached the Great Hall. "But completely worth it."

The group sat down at the table with no sign of Lace. On the table beside them, someone left open a copy of the Daily Prophet. The article staring them back in the face was not pretty.

Death Eaters Spotted in Little Haggletown 

After taking the last few weeks to lay low, the followers of the Dark Lord attacked a muggle town in central London. Seventeen muggles were murdered, along with four wizards. No one is yet aware of the reason of the attack or even if there is a reason at all anymore. "This was a completely unforeseen event. We had no idea that the Death Eaters were planning any form of an attack." A ministry insider said. No relation has been formed between the wizards killed and the muggles attacked. Three of the wizards were in fact ministry officials trying to gain control of the situation. (Continued, pg 3)

"Look at this. There's been an attack on muggles." Annabelle picked up the paper to show the boys. "This is horrible."

"I guess they really don't need a reason to attack anymore. My dad was telling mum just before we left for the train station that the ministry was becoming more and more worried about not having any idea what was coming next. No one can read what he is thinking." James said as he opened the Prophet to read the rest of the story.

Remus and Annabelle resumed eating in silence, except for the forks scrapping their plates. Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall swung open loudly and Sirius came running in followed by Peter, who was struggling to keep up. "Did you guys hear?" He said as he sat in the seat by James, panting slightly. "The attack…in Little Haggletown?" He finished taking a sip of Annabelle's untouched Pumpkin Juice.

"Yea." Everyone muttered as James handed him the paper.

"No. It's not in there." He threw the paper down. "I overheard Nearly Headless Nick telling the Bloody Baron and some of the other ghosts. The witch that died – " Sirius quickly said, only to be cut off by Annabelle.

"Dumbledore's daughter." Annabelle gasped as she grabbed the paper off the table.

"How did you know that?" Sirius looked exasperated that she had stolen his thunder.

"Nothing." She said distractedly as she quickly got up and ran out the Great Hall. Before the boys could ask what that was about, Remus jumped up and ran out behind her. Neither slowed down until they reached the portrait hole out of breath.

"I need a password if the two of you expect to get in." The Fat Lady abused as the two stood doubled over gasping for breath.

"Scallabreath." A low voice behind them said. Both turned to see Annabelle standing behind them with tears streaming down her face. "Excuse me." She said as she pushed past them through the hole and up to the girls' dorm. She was still wearing her pajamas and the legs were black with dirt. Not too far behind her, James, Sirius, and Peter were walking toward them. Annabelle quickly followed her in.

"What's that all about?" Sirius asked as they sat by the fireplace.

"Guess we'll have to wait to find out, won't we? We've got to get to the pitch for practice." James stood and looked at Sirius. "Marcel'll kill us if we're late." The two boys ran off to the portrait hole as Remus and Peter pull out their transfiguration essays. Just as they reached the hole, it swung open and in stepped Dumbledore. "'Scuse us, Professor." James said stopping in his tracks. "We were really sorry to hear…" He trailed off as Dumbledore held out his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. Shouldn't you two be on your way to practice?" He asked with a half smile, looking out the window.

"Yes, sir." James replied as they walked out the hole.

Dumbledore approached the now vacant chair by the fireplace and sat. Peter nervously pretended to be occupied with his essay, but it quickly became too much for him. He jumped up and ran off to the dormitory. "I see, I still make poor Mr. Pettigrew nervous after all this time." Dumbledore stated to Remus. Then, leaning forward in his seat, "I understand, you are aware of our little secret. Laceteel really appreciates your…hmm…indiscretion, should I say?"

"Its really not my place to talk about it, Professor." Remus told him quickly.

Lace came running down the stairs hugging a book close to her chest. "Here it is, Grandfather." She handed it too him. "Can I go, then?" Tears were still streaming down her face as she looked at him.

"Yes, thank you dear. Did you not want to come back with me?" Dumbledore stood and tucked the book in his robes. "I'll send for you when I return." He slowly walked out the portrait hole and back to his office.

Annabelle stood at the foot of the stairs watching Lace stand looking at the portrait hole. Lace didn't know how long she had stood there, but became aware the common room was beginning to fill with people. She glanced back at Annabelle and said, "I'm going for a walk."

Lace didn't know where she was going, but her feet carried her to the tree by the lake. She sat with her back on the tree, hidden from anyone looking out. She sat outside through lunch with all different emotions running through her. She still had not realized that she would never see her parents again. Part of her blamed herself. Part blamed her grandfather for not protecting them. Deep down, she resented her mother for taking the risk she had taken so many years before against Dumbledore's wishes. If they hadn't lived their lives in such a place. If they had been around other people like them. The tears were streaming down her face with more urgency now. Her breathing hitched and she heard someone walking around the tree. Frantically, she wiped at her face, but never took her gaze from the lake.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Sirius asked standing over her. She shook her head and he sat. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask if you want to talk about it. I always thought that was so fake. Besides, I know you prefer when I talk about myself, and it has been awhile since we talked about my good looks." He grinned and nudged her with his shoulder. She broke out in a wide smile and let out a giggle. "See. It feels better to laugh. Doesn't it?"

"Is it always going to feel like this?" She asked looking into his face as he looked over the lake with the dark clouds rolling in.

"I don't think it ever goes away, but it should get easier. Remus' mum died a few years ago. She'd been sick for a long time. He still has his days, but I think as long as we're there for him and he lets us be there nothing's impossible to get through." Sirius said as thunder rolled in the background. Looking at her, he continued, "We're all here for you, too. It'll be easier to push everyone and everything away, but you can't do that. Your grandfather wanted me to give you this." He pulled a note from the pocket of his robe and stood. "Don't push away the only family you have left, Shoelace." Lace watched him retreat back to the castle as rain slowly began to pour.

She continued to sit there, immune to the rain. As darkness set in, she could no longer ignore her rumbling in her stomach. She hurried into the castle to put on dry robes and get to the Great Hall.

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_A/N: Please don't forget to comment and let me know how you feel about it. Make suggestions if you have any!_

_Coming up: It's starting to feel like Christmas._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer**: I still do not own Harry Potter or anything associated in JK Rowling's books. I just write about them. Annabelle is mine, as is Lace, and now Melanie._**

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**Christmas in the Castle**

Over the next two and a half weeks, Lace struggled to bring the life that was crashing around her together once more. Dumbledore had not been seen around the castle since the attack, and this made Lace anxious for their next meeting. The note he left with Sirius simple read

_I know this has been a difficult day for you and for that I am truly sorry. The death of you mother has reopened many questions I have shelved in the back of my mind some time ago. By the time you receive this, I will have left in search of some answers. My plans will take me away for a few weeks, but I shall never be out of reach. At a time like this, it is important to remain close to family. For this reason, I am leaving Fawkes in my office for you. If you need to get in touch with me for any reason, go to him and he will find me. When I return, we must enjoy some fresh lilac pops._

She did not read it until two days later, when she remembered she had not yet opened it. She took the advice of Sirius to heart, and kept her friends close. There were times when she felt the need to be alone, but she never pushed them away. They understood what she was dealing with in her mind. Remus understood more than the others.

One thought that terrified Lace was Christmas. She had planned to return home for the holiday, but, now, there was no home to return to. She would be staying at Hogwarts, of that she was sure, but she wondered if she would spend it with her grandfather there as well. He told her he would be gone for a few weeks, but the more days that passed, the more she worried he would not return by then.

Remus was sitting in the Owlry with an open letter, reading it carefully. His father was sending word that Remus would need to remain at Hogwarts for the holiday. This was no news, as Remus often spent his vacations in the castle with Sirius. But this year, Sirius was spending the holiday with James in the mountains and Peter was going home as well. He sighed and folded up the letter as he heard footsteps outside the door.

Annabelle walked in with a letter in her hand, closely followed by Lace. "I told mum I'd send her this as soon as I new what I needed for the trip. This'll only take a second. Hey, Remus." Annabelle said alerting Lace to his presence.

"Hey, you two. Ready for the holiday?" He asked, looking between the girls. "You can use my owl if you like, A-belle." He said extending Loops to her.

"Thank you so much." Annabelle told him and tied the letter to his leg.

While, she gave the owl instructions, Remus walked over to where Lace was staring out over the grounds. "Only two more days left of term. Are you happy it's finally over?"

"Hmmm? Well, I'm happy for the break from class, but not for the empty time. This was her favorite time of year." Lace continued to look over the grounds as silent tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"It still is, Lace. As long as you remember that, it will always be her favorite. Just because she isn't here right now, that doesn't mean you have to forget it." He gently put his hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned into him and buried her head in his chest.

As he rubbed his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion, Annabelle walked over to them. "Do you want breakfast?" She asked to no one in particular, but to both of them at the same time. Lace nodded her head against Remus' robes and pulled away. Quietly, they all walked to the Great Hall and sat next to James, Sirius, and Peter.

At the head table, McGonagall sat close to Dumbledore in an animated conversation. Lace broke into a smile as she saw him sitting here. She resisted the urge to run up to him, but he sensed her presence and looked out over the hall. His conversation stopped momentarily aa he quickly spotted her. As their eyes met, Lace knew that he found some answers to share with her.

After her last class of the term, Patrick Dilby approached Lace with another note. "I really hope these aren't detentions I keep delivering to you all the time." He said as he thrust out the note and walked away.

"Hey, Dilby!" Annabelle called out to him, causing the rest of the first years around them to halt slightly. She approached him quickly and in a hushed tone, only the two of them could hear, said, "Have a little respect for the girl whose parents were just murdered by Death Eaters." She turned on her heel and walked back to Lace. Arm in arm, they returned to the common room, leaving Dilby with a confused look on his face.

"What did you tell him?" Lace asked, glancing back over her shoulder. "Oh no, Belle! What did you say?" She asked again, a little more worried that she said something to give away her secret.

"Don't worry. I didn't spill the beans. I just told him to have a little more respect for someone who just lost both of her parents. I mean seriously, what a prick!" Annabelle told her as they reached the portrait hole. "Just where have you two been?" She asked James and Sirius as they snuck around the corner.

"Shhh! Quick, get inside and we'll tell you." James ushered them in first. Once they were seated at their usual table by the window, he continued. "We overheard Slughorn telling McG that if Dumbledore didn't tell him soon where he'd been that he'd let it slip to the other teachers about a certain granddaughter in attendance here. But don't worry, McG took care of that. She threatened to hex him into next term if he butted into family affairs."

"It was great. You should have seen the look on his face. Pure horror!" Sirius chimed in.

"What does that have to do with…did they see you?" Annabelle asked. Everyone knew better than to eavesdrop on the teachers.

"No, we don't think so, but we did run into Peeves on our way back around the corridor. He saw us. We were just making sure he didn't alert either one of them." James explained. "I doubt McG would mind as much as Slughorn."

"Man, he sure hates us." Sirius said as he leaned back in his chair and propped up his feet. Suddenly, the portrait hole swung open and McGonagall walked in. Sirius landed with a thud on all four legs of his chair. "Err…hey..Pro…Professor!" He said nervously as she approached them.

"I know what the two of you are up too. Peeves has a mighty big mouth. Rest assured, that since I did not catch you and you did not hear anything you weren't already aware of, I will not punish you. But I will not tolerate eavesdropping any more. This is your one free chance. Don't cross me, or I will be forced to ruin the start of next term. For all of you." She quickly added as Remus and Peter walked up, pointing to all six of them.

"What does the note say?" Annabelle asked on their way to dinner that evening. Normally, they would be walking with the Marauders, but they stayed behind to talk about some plan they had. Neither girl liked the idea of getting into trouble, so they immediately went ahead without them.

"Nothing big. You can read it." Lace handed her the folded letter.

_I can imagine that there are many things you would like to ask me, but since this is your last night with your friends before the holiday, we will meet tomorrow morning. Tell the boys to have a splendid vacation and to do try and stay out of trouble. As for Miss Potter, we anxiously await her return back to us. I can see that the two of you have become quite the pair. Enjoy the feast, my dear._

"Aww. I want your grandfather. Mine just smells like old moth balls and keeps sending me the same scarf and chocolates every holiday." Annabelle sighed as they took their seats. "Lily, can you pass the pumpkin juice?" She tapped the girl next to her.

"Sure." Lily Evans turned to hand her the pitcher. "Do you have big plans for the holiday?" She asked politely.

"I'm…well, I'm staying here." Lace shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Lily had found out about her parents that evening after they returned to the common room from class. Dilby was still feeling guilty about what he said and told Lily about it. She had immediately gone to Lace to tell her how sorry she was.

"My family's going to the mountains. My father loves to ski. Me, not so much." Annabelle added to the topic. "What about you?" She directed to Lily and Melanie Prewitt.

"Yea, my family's having a big party at our house. That should be fun." Lily said sarcastically. "My sister's taken to running from the room whenever I enter. Some people are so small-minded."

"I told you, Lils. You are more than welcome to come with me." Melanie offered her comfortingly. "We're going to Spain to see my brother. His wife just had twins."

"I will have to pass on that fun." Lily said with a laugh. Twin newborns? Who was Mel kidding? That sounded like a nightmare. "I'll have to learn to live with Petunia one day. Might as well try Christmas." Lily's face turned sour as she looked behind Lace.

"You guys didn't have to save us seats." James said sitting next to Annabelle with a grin. "But I did tell you, Evans. I knew you'd come around."

Lily looked to Melanie for some kind of help, but she was too preoccupied with Sirius to notice. Lace and Remus sat separating Sirius from her. Despite Lily's adamant protest, Melanie could not help the crush she had on him. "Melanie!" Lily hissed, snapping her from her thoughts. "A little help would be nice every once in a while."

"Aw, come on, Evans. You don't need saving. I keep telling you. I know you want me. Just agree to go out with me already." Lace tried failingly to stifle her giggle, and immediately turned to join Sirius and Remus' conversation.

"If I've told you once, I've told you ten thousand times. I WON'T GO OUT WITH YOU!" The students sitting nearest to them quickly turned their heads to see what was happening. "Come on Mel, let's sit somewhere else." She quickly stood, and Melanie joined her regrettably. "Have a good holiday, girls." She said to Annabelle and Lace before walking away.

"She loves…"

But before James could finish, five voices joined in. "You. We know!"

"Maybe you should just lay off for a bit." Annabelle looked at him. "Maybe she will change her mind, if you quit annoying her so much."

James put his arm around her shoulder and picked up his goblet. "Can't do it, cuz. Just can't." Raising his glass, he continued to the group, "Here's to a Happy Christmas."

A chorus of "Happy Christmas!" rang from around the table as other students joined in.

Once the end of term feast was over and Dumbledore had given his small farewell, the Great Hall began to empty slowly as friends remained to talk. "Don't leave just yet." James said looking over at the Slytherin table. Severus Snape was sitting alone, a few seats down from Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix Black, and her friends. "We don't want to miss this." Remus didn't say anything as Sirius turned in his seat and Peter looked on wantonly.

Suddenly, there was a small explosion next to Bellatrix and soon, she and Snape were both covered in leftover pie and pudding. "The look on her face was worth the price of admission." Sirius turned back to face James. "She looks like she might ream him." He quickly glanced back to see Bellatrix round on Snape.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled at him, now on her feet. "Look at me! I'm covered in food!" She was about to draw her wand when Rudolphus Lestrange interrupted and directed her attention to the Gryffindor table. She reached for her wand, closely followed by her group of friends, but quickly replaced them as several professors walked by. "They'll pay for that!" She said loudly enough for the Gryffindors to hear as they stomped out the Great Hall.

"I love seeing her like that. Makes me miss home." Sirius said, gazing into space.

"Really?" Peter asked. "Because I thought you hated—."

"He was joking, Peter." Annabelle said from across James. "Don't you know him at all?" She shook her head in exasperation.

"Let's get out of here." James said, as a change of subject. Everyone rose from the table and headed back to the common room.

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_A/N: Thanks for still reading! And thanks to XxlilyxX for the great comments! Please don't forget to comment and let me know how you feel about it. I feel like I never have time to write now with work. It's so sad!_

_Coming up: The first holiday of the rest of her life. _


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